Plagiarism and Copyright: What exactly is plagiarism?

What Is Plagiarism?

pla·gia·rism

ˈplājəˌrizəm/

noun

the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own. Synonyms: copying, infringement of copyright, piracy, theft, stealing;informal cribbing "accusations of plagiarism" Source: Google Definitions

Books on plagiarism

Consequences

If you use the ideas of others and do not give them credit by providing proper references to their work, you are committing plagiarism. Not only is plagiarism an honor code violation at Norco College, punishable by temporary or permanent suspension from the college, it may also violate copyright and be a crime. Instructors at Norco have access to turnitin.com, which automatically checks papers for possible plagiarism.

For information on the growing problem of plagiarism with statistics and background information visit Plagiarism.org.